


Quiet

by hrs289



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-31
Updated: 2013-10-31
Packaged: 2017-12-31 01:05:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1025516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hrs289/pseuds/hrs289
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A song-fic that I wrote to the song of Quiet by LIGHTS. A worn out run away rests in a tree sharing silence with an angry sober hero. FrostIron Renewed One-Shot! SONG-FIC Just give it a chance I really suck at summeries! - Reviews make me smile! :D Rated Teen for Safety. -</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I'm Not Your's And You're Not Mine

**Author's Note:**

> Helllooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! It is a dark and snowy 4 AM. And so I decided to add yet another fanfiction to my already huge collection! This is actually a Song-Fic based on the song Quiet by LIGHTS. Go listen to it because it is just so amazing! Anyways… Enjoy. ^-^ Reviews make me smile!!! :D

_~I’m not yours, and you’re not mine,_

_But we can sit and pass the time,_

_No fighting wars, no ringing chimes,_

_We’re just feeling fine. ~_

Loki sat silently in a tree with only a little bit of leaves left.  It was surprisingly warm for an autumn night and the rest of the golden leaves on the tree he sat in rustled softly in the breeze.  The trickster sighed and rested his head back on the trunk of the tree smiling lightly in spite of everything.  It had been 7 months from New York and he was on the run still.  Although he had been extra careful and had not been sighted in at least 3 months, which had mad things had been worse for him. 

He had taken to sleeping in caves on the side of beaches on the coast of Washington State.  Which mostly just resulted in being dirty all the time, being almost constantly damp and never really getting a good night’s rest.  However tonight he sat in Central Park after a quick shower that he had snuck in to from a nearby gym in a disguise.  So over all he was content.  After a few moments of looking at a particular leaf on a dying branch he closed his eyes and started dozing.  However he was roused rather suddenly by someone kicking a stone against the trunk of his tree and plopping down with a huff under it. 

Loki tensed eyes widening lightly, had he been spotted?  Looking down carefully he slowly realized that he knew who the seemingly angry person was underneath "his" tree.  A certain "We Have a Hulk" Tony Stark, who was looking up at the sky practically glaring at the moon. 

He had just gotten away from another combined lecture from Rhodey and Pepper about "growing up" and "being more responsible."  And he was just about fed up with all of it.  Tony looked up at the leaves in the trees almost instantly detecting that there was a person up there.  He did not move and pretended that he had not seen the person who obviously wanted to be left alone as well.   However after about 3 minutes of sitting there staring at the grass Tony became curious and looked up again. 

This time the two people made eye contact underneath the moonlight. Loki felt a rush of panic but Tony felt completely calm as chocolate brown eyes met glittering green.  Neither moved until Tony just sighed and looked back at the moon.  They were silent for a good half an hour until Tony finally spoke.  "Haven't seen you in a while..."  Loki swallowed and stayed silent.  Tony just continued after another long moment of silence.  "I won't turn you in you know.  Not tonight at least."  Surprised Loki forced out a shocked and yet quiet, "Why?"  Tony sighed taking his time to think of a good answer.  "I'm not sure.  You're not doing any harm... Are you?"  Loki shook his head until he remembered that Tony was not looking his way.  "No.  I am just resting." 

Again silence. But this time they had both relaxed a bit more and it was not awkward or tense.  Just silence.  Loki spoke first after maybe an hour of watching the stars.  "Your stars look so different..."  Tony waited a bit thinking.  "You sound almost homesick reindeer games." Loki gritted his teeth at the nick name but ignored it.  "I suppose I am."  Tony faltered and looked up at the God perched up just 5 feet above him in the tree.  He was staring at the moon but clearly not really seeing anything to far deep in thoughts.  He looked almost sad. 

Looking down at the still green grass, Tony sighed, "Me too..."  At this Loki looked down at Tony.  Who was sitting with his knees up and spread looking in between them at an ant crawling across the grass.  Loki thought he looked sad and broken.  Frowning lightly he looked back up at the moon with a sigh. The atmosphere had dramatically changed now.  Both of them had completely relaxed with new understandings of each other. 

Loki's leg fell as he started to doze off to hang off the branch.  Smirking Tony shifted so that the leg was a bit in front of him and slowly carefully batted at it settling in to a swinging rhythm pushing it so that it bent and swung back slowly and lazily.  Loki cracked an eye open to look down at Tony who had a small smile slowly forming on his face.  The God sighed lightly and settled down more smirking and closing his eyes again.  They stayed quietly like that, Tony letting Loki fall asleep and rest deeply until the sun started to rise. 

Giving a light tug on his leg so that he would wake up Tony stood up and dug around in his pocket.  He found a note pad and jotted something down before he folded it tossing it on the ground by the end of the trunk then left back to face the wrath of Pepper feeling incredibly light and relaxed for being sober.  Loki woke a moment or two after he left.  Seeing the sun he got down.  Looking down he found the note and blinking stooped to pick it up. 

_"Hey.  Thanks a lot for, I don't know actually what you did._

_Thanks for sitting there.  I meant what I said about not telling anyone._

_Just get out of here alright?  Here's 200 bucks.  Buy some real food_

_and get a cheap hotel room for a few nights.  Take care of_

_Yourself Magic Hands._

_-Tony."_

Loki smiled and folded the money and the note in to his pocket and set off slowly letting a disguise cloak him to go and make Tony good on his word.


	2. No Tragedy, No Poetry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! ^-^ So I had posted the first chapter of Quiet intending it just to be a cute little one-shot. Then I started getting like messages and stuff (*still does not totally understand website don’t judge*) about there being another chapter. And so I of course started getting excited like: Wow. People actually want to read my crap writing! At least like 2 or 3 of you guys right? Anyways… So I decided that I would make every stanza of the song a new chapter (minus the entire chorus’s. That would be just one chapter at the very end.) Sound okay to everyone? If you guys want anything to happen or for me to write anything just message me I LOVE new ideas! Thank you! :D Reviews make me smile and enjoy~! Oh wait! By the way! Ant Man is mentioned in here. Because I LOVE that guy. Yah so yay!

_~This is where; we are supposed to be,_

_Sitting by a broken tree,_

_No tragedy, No poetry,_

_Just staring at the sky~_

Tony Stark sighed heavily sitting on his office chair in his lab at his mansion in Malibu.  It had been four days sense he had sat under a dying tree with his enemy, the God of Mischief.  Sure he had given him some money and told him to get out, but he still felt guilty of something.  Not to Shield, screw them.  Mostly to himself, he was dying of curiosity.  It isn’t every day you stumble upon a villain who is having a down moment in public.  Much less a “Mighty God” who was spending the night with a dirty face and ripped clothes in a tree.

Of course he would never admit it to himself, but he did feel a bit guilty for how Loki had been living.  And in the small part of his mind that mulled over that fact he did not know why.  It was the bastered’s idea to run off and try to take over the world…. And very nearly kill Phil Coulson… (HE LIVES!)  The genius gritted his teeth and spun around in his chair. 

The agent now lay in a stable coma in the hospital wing with Steve Rogers almost constantly by his side unless ordered to go and find food or out on a mission.  Loki had done so much damage to the Avengers confidence and conviction.  Just by harming that one particular man.

Sighing heavily Tony got up and crossed the room for a drink.  He poured the liquid gold scotch in to his glass and sipped it thinking.  He was no Hank Pym.  He had no problem with violence as long as it was justified.  And he never had EVER tried to make sure his enemies were comfortable.  Then why did he feel so terrible.  Another sip and sigh as he looked up and out across the stretch of sand to the little patch of green that Loki and him had found their tree.  Wait… Their tree?  Get it together Stark.

Sliding back in to his chair he scooted over to the window and took a long drink staring at the tree.  He did not understand what Loki’s motives were.  Why would he stay so out in the open?  Why did he not run when he saw him?  Tony had seen the panic in his eyes, something that he had never thought that Loki could feel.  Fear for his life.  That was an entirely different side of him, one that Tony had never thought about.

He was about to give up on his search for clues out the window.  Standing up and half turning around taking another drink, but a flash of something caught his eye.  Whipping around Tony eyed the tree again.  Was that really him again…?  Sure enough he saw someone climb in to the tree with practiced skill and settle on the same branch again.  Curiosity burning Tony ran and through on a coat running out side.

 

Loki sighed settling down on to the rough bark that felt almost familiar though he had only been there once before.  He had used the money that Stark gave him and tried not to think about why sudden generosity struck the billionaire.  Though he had only used five dollars to buy one very cheap hotel room for one night even though Stark seemed to have requested more, he had been eating more recently and gotten more rest.

He had used most of the money though on new clothes which he wore now, a cheap yet sharp suit jacket over a dark green t-shirt and some black jean like pants.  Hair brushed back and clean for the first time that to him felt like decades.  Loki didn’t even know why he had came here.  If he was clean and full then shouldn’t he go and use the last few dollars to get another hotel room, get a nights rest and get on a bus or something?  Maybe it was just because the last time he had been here, he had felt at peace for the first time in a long while.  And that made him curious.  Why should he feel comfortable and relaxed on a rough branch with an enemy at his feet?

He knew he had not came here looking for more money or charity.  If Tony had stayed until he realized that he had given him the money he probably would have ripped it in half and through it back at him.  His pride kept him from saying thank you for it, and at the same time he felt as if he should.  Which was very strange. 

Still it was a nice night, not like the cold would bother him anyway but it was a comfortable temperature, with thin clouds covering small patches of the sky coaxing the stars to shine try and outshine the moon that casted waves of cold light down on to the slowly dying grass.  Over all it was a rather appealing sight that Loki had not normally seen on Midgaurd.  So he relaxed again hands behind his head to keep his hair getting tangled in the branches staring eyes half open over the grass and to the stars wondering if there were any familiar ones out there.

A rustle made him jerk up in to a sitting position and peer out in to the brush hand rose preparing himself to make the rather painful change in to someone else as a disguise.  “Hey hey wait!”  Loki blinked and sat up more to peer over to his left as Tony blundered out of the bushes panting.  A smirk of amusement was on his face before he even recognized it.

Brown hair sticking up messily and coat covered with nettles Tony stumbled to the tree and leaned against it panting lightly and holding up a finger.  “J-Just.  Hold on.  It’s just me.”  Loki feigned annoyance and rolled his eyes, “You say that as if you expect us to be old friends.”  Tony smirked and pointed up at him, “Don’t give me that bullshit.”  Slumping down on to the ground where he had last sat Tony looked up at the sky, “Pretty nice night.”

What was he doing…?  Loki wondered looking down at him, “Yes….”  Tony smirked and looked up at him. “Hey get down here and sit by me, geez.  For a god you’re rather rude you know.”  Mostly just shocked Loki stared down at him for a moment or two with slightly wide then narrowed eyes.  With a sigh he slid down to sit a few feet from the other man.

            Even Tony was surprised that he agreed without a fight and they both sat in tense silence.  Until Tony, being the charmer of Earth, glanced over to survey the god.  Loki of course noticed and just tipped his head up more to look at the moon ignoring him with an air of dignity.  Tony just smiled lightly, “Nice new suit.”

            Loki bit his tongue and just nodded.  They both were quite a bit more until Loki spoke in a very quiet yet looser voice, “Thank you.  For the money I mean.”  They both could practically feel the tension break and melt away and both visibly relaxed as Tony replied a simple, “No problem.”

Again silence.  But this time it was comfortable and after a bit Tony leaned against the trunk of the tree.  A few moments later Loki did the same apprehensively making Tony smile.  More silence, but they seemed to enjoy it.  After about an hour Tony began to count the stars out loud in a soft quiet relaxed tone. “One… Two… Three… Four… Five…-”

He stopped suddenly as Loki’s head jerked up looking over at him wide distant eyes.  “Hey whoa.  O.o No need to freak out.  I’m counting the stars.  See?”  Tony pointed up at the sky lightly speaking as he would a mental patient.  “What do you not count on your planet?” Loki just blinked a few times not really responding to his jeers.  Eventually he just shook his head and looked down leaning back again with an air of uncomfortable energy.

Tony blinked in confusion, “What’s with you Magic Hands?”  For some reason, that shocked both Tony and himself, Loki replied after a moment with a dead cautious voice. “It’s simply.  My daughter counts like that often.  You just made me remember that now.” Tony sat up straighter. “Wait. You have kids?” A nod. “Six…. No… Four.”  Another nod.  Blinking Tony leaned forward a bit. “Wow you get around. Props to that.  Who are the-” He was cut off as Loki hastily raised a hand.

“Let us not speak of tragedy tonight Stark.” The answer as Tony would have expected it to did not make him angry or impatient.  He just smirked and leaned back looking back up at the stars.  “That makes it seems as if we are going to meet up again.”  To his shock Loki just chuckled deeply and replied, “We shall see.”

They stayed until the sun rose again not looking at one another only talking in soft low voices that were almost whispers as if they were afraid to much noise would break the peaceful calm.  Tony showed Loki different consolations and Loki told him about a woman on Asgard who weaved the patterns of them in to the sky.

Soon the lights of the sun were spreading across the sky and they both stood and stretched shaking off the morning’s dew that had come to dampen their clothes.  Loki turned about to silently leave the man under the tree.  But Tony grabbed his arm, “Wait.” Blinking the god pulled his arm away from his grasp and turned a glare on him.  Smirking Tony pulled out a couple hundred dollar bills and shoved them in to his grasp.  Loki blinked eyes slightly wide.  He looked up at Tony and held out his hand with the money in it, “I do not except charity Stark.  Take it back.”

“No.” Tony smirked and moved his hands up to fold Loki’s around the money and kept his hands above the bewildered looking God. “Just keep it.  Please.”  The both of them blinked at how suddenly Tony seemed to be begging him to take the money.  “Go buy yourself a better suit or something.”  Silence overwhelmed the both of them as their eyes met and they stood there studying each other for a few moments until a birds calling woke them both up.

Loki pulled away and noticed that the dollars were still in his hand.  At a look from Tony he just sighed and pocketed them.  “I don’t like it.  But fine….” He conceded making Tony smile.  “Alright.  Take care of yourself then.”  Loki nodded looking up and turning to start to walk. “Good bye Anthony.”  Tony was also walking in the other direction but turned to walk backwards at his full name.

“Hey I give you money, you can call me Tony.”  A small laugh from Loki as he looked over his shoulder.  “Oh I like the name Anthony though.”  His light and smooth tone made Tony smile and suddenly feel lighter than he had been in a long while.  “Fine have it your way.”  Loki smirked and raised his hand to call some magic and Tony stopped to watch interested.  “Yes.  Anthony.”  With a purr of his name and a snap green magic engulfed him and he was gone leaving Tony with more questions than he had had earlier that night.


	3. I Like It Here, Beside You Dear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLOOOOO! :D Well! First off I am so very happy that at least some people are reading this! Really not my best but I can’t stop thinking of like the song so. ^-^ Yay. A small sorry that I have not updated Dog Days yet! I cannot get this fic out of my head and I am low on inspiration for the next chapter. Until then I am also doing school but you know, writing calls! The ship must sail on!

_~I like it here, beside you dear,_

_You’re even more, than you appear,_

_And in the clouds, my head is clear,_

_Every time you say hello~_

 

            Tony paced back and forth in front of the tree, on the grass that was now a light brown there was a blanket and a few bottles of wine.  The wine bottles were really just for his entertainment and nerves seeing as he had been waiting here sense noon and it was now 10 pm.  He had been lying on the blanket and drinking all day sense Pepper’s visit.

            His CEO had stormed in at 9 am that morning.  It really was amazing how suddenly that woman could just kill everything in your life in the 15 minutes it took to shut her up.  Everything about questions with the press, questions about his drinking, questions about responsibility.  Questions about who the figure he would sit with all night was.   That was what she was most furious with.

            Now he had never really got going with Pepper.  Sure she was his like only friend, and they had slept together at least 3 times.  Sure they told everyone about how they were dating. Sure he took her on expensive dates and bought her the best jewelry that any man or woman or machine has ever cut.  Sure.  But he had never fallen in love with her.  And she had never stopped hounding him to get his “act” “together.”  Now they barely even tried.  They had never officially broken up or anything.  But the last date they had been on was 4 months ago.  She never texted or called or stayed at his tower or mansion for fun and relaxation anymore.  Hell, Tony couldn’t remember the last time they had said that they loved each other.  Which, surprisingly enough, is what Tony really wanted, what he really needed.  To be loved and to love someone back.  Of course he had never actually _told_ anyone this.  Could you just imagine, the ever famous play boy Tony Stark, Iron Man, confess that he was just a hopeless romantic struggling to find someone to live with.  Haha… No.

            So why had he came here?  Why did he pack up his most expensive classy wine and best blanket he could find in his closets, to come and sit here by himself.  Did he think that magically this tree was going to make him feel any better?  …did he think that Loki would make him feel better?  No of course not.  In fact he was still scolding himself for not calling Shield.  He had murdered Phil Coulson.  PHIL.  COULSON.  That alone should mean death sentence.  Could you kill a god…….. Ugh stupiEd wine… Making his thoughts go everywhere.

            With a defeated sigh Tony collapsed back on to the blanket leaning against the trunk and filling up another large wine glass with the strong red liquid.  Bottoms up.

 

            Loki had been having… a terrible day.  This of course on low standers for him but still… It was a terrible day.  He had decided to get a hotel room that night, a cheap run down one on the back side of a highway.  But still.  It had a clean enough shower and a bed with a blanket.  Good enough.  The god had settled down at about 2 am glad to get some rest. 

            He was woken at 7:14 in the morning by an angry and half deranged manager who was screaming about how he had not paid, though he really had.  Just wanting to get back to bed and sleep until the stars came out again, Loki fished around the entire room for the wallet that he had bought that held Tony’s money in it.  However after 5 minutes of frantic looking, the manager grabbed Loki’s coat through it at him and through him out. 

            So now worn to the bone, hungry rather lost and without money, he walked down the street with his suit jacket’s collar pulled up desperately trying to block out some of the hot sticky rain that was falling.  Angrily he muttered to himself as he wandered down the highway.  Reminding himself that he was working on not talking to himself, because only insane people do that, he sighed and took a deep breath and stood up straighter, only to be smacked in the face and down his chest with wet sloppy mud that one of the cars picked up and splashed him with.  He had wiped his face as best he could and snapped to teleport.

            He landed in the normal spot 20 feet away from the tree, pleased to find it was sunny from the warm feel on his soaked back.  Spitting out a mouthful of water that tasted like a rotting crow he stumbled over to the tree not yet having seen Tony as is he was trying to remove mud from his eyes.

 

            Tony looked up shocked at the sudden sharp snap of a portal.  He caught himself beaming as he watched the green magic work its way in to a doorway.  Blinking he frowned lightly at seeing a rather worse for wear Loki stumble through.  And whoa did he look like shit. What looks like the remains of his older green sharp suit on, only the shirt was hastily buttoned and the jacket was coated in murky water, his hair was dripping wet and looked as if he had just rolled out of bed with only 15 minutes of sleep.  With a pang of sympathy, and before he knew what he was doing, Tony got up and took a hold of his arm leading him on to the blanket to sit down and helping him take off his coat.

            Loki instantly reacted in a bad way.  He jerked backwards and spat a curse in what sounded like some sort of European language at him.  “Hey, hey.  Calm down it’s just me.  Sit down you look like shit.”  Surprisingly after he made himself known the God sank to his knees and let Tony strip his coat off and throw it aside.  They remained in silence as Tony used a corner of the blanket to help Loki clean the mud out of his eyes so he could see.  When he finally did open it he smirked and dropped back on to his heels.

            “Welcome to the world of the living then.”  Loki just blinked a few times and looked up at him from his half laying down position.  Tony just smirked and poured him a big glass of wine and handed it to him, “A drink for your thoughts?”  Looking at it shakily for a moment until he regained his sense and sat up, Loki took the drink and just tossed back a few gulps.  That made Tony laugh.

            “I thought I drank fast, but you burn through this stuff don’t you?”  Leaning back against the trunk of the tree Tony took another long drink.  Another five minutes of quiet.  This was different then it was at night.  Granted it was almost dark but it was only 5:45 in LA time.  And children and young couples still roamed the ocean and beaches below them.  But up here they were safe from prying eyes and questions.  “So.”  And with the normal Stark charm, Tony rolled his head to look over at the God who was also staring blankly at the beach.  “How was your day?”

            Loki blinked processing the question before tossing his head back and laughing breathlessly.  Tony smirked proud of the reaction.  “That bad?”  The trickster shook his head, “You have no idea.”  Instantly challenged Tony leaned up a bit more, “Oh yah?  Try me?”  Deciding to bite Loki nodded for him to go first taking another deep drink and automatically pouring himself another one, which Tony liked. 

            “My…” He held up his fingers as best he could with a half full red wine glass in his hands to do quotation marks around the next word, “Girl….Friend…” Down go the hands. “Decided to have a loving visit to tell me how much of a loser I am.  At 9 in the morning!”  His comically exasperated voice made Loki admit a sound that he s _wore_ was a giggle.  A GIGGLE. 

Smirking Tony allowed himself to survey the God who still looked like a complete mess.  But incredibly casual.  With Mud covering his nose and his left cheek with a scratch or two on his right from a pebble that must have shot up and go him and his hair mussed up everywhere, no leather, no metal, no helmet, not even a suit.  Just a t-shirt, suit pants and a messed up face that was growing a healthier happier shade of pink to match Tony’s with the way they were suddenly laughing and drinking.

“That is pretty awful.”  Tony decided instantly he liked the conceding in his tone of voice and the small glance of pity in his direction, not enough to seem like he cared, just enough to make Tony feel like he did.  Which made him feel fuzzy…. Or that could be the wine.

            “But I can top it.”  The genius poured himself a new glass refilling Loki’s to the brim and both of them slammed down another huge half glass.  Tony nodded to show he was listening relaxing in to a laying position that Loki soon copied.  Taking a moment before the story to bunch the blanket up as a mound that they could both laid against the two lay on the dying grass staring up at the cloudy sky that started to turn orange with a sun set. 

            “After I left you last night,” Had it really only been last night that he had last seen him…? “I went to a place that I am not sure what the name is.  But I’ve stayed there before, it always seems to rain.”  Tony smirked in to his drink as he sipped it.  It was obvious that Loki loved to tell stories the way that he described everything.  But he seemed so cautious in telling the story that it made Tony wonder if he had ever been truly heard before.

            “Well I stayed at a rundown hotel behind a busy street.  Went to bed around 2 I believe. And suddenly I was woken up at like 5 by this blubbering idiot!”  Tony burst out laughing and took another drink missing Loki’s pleased look at his sudden show of amusement.  “He burst in without knocking and started going on about how I hadn’t paid to stay the night!  Oh do not give me that look Stark I _did_ pay.  It just was not on the record. Of course I just wanted to get back to sleep so I started to look for my wallet to pay again.  But before I could find it this ape walks out and throws me out tossing my coat after me.  When I started walking I got hit by some splash of mud that an arrogant fool through up at me with his machine!”

            Tony smirked and just coaxed him in to taking another drink by nodding to the glass, his smirk only widening when Loki instantly downed the rest of it with no complaints.  “So I was left on the side of the road as I am now.  Soaked, dirty, without rest and with no money.”  They both sighed heavily and relaxed in to the grass, two bottles of red wine downed and forgotten; they laid next to each other staring at the sky with half lidded eyes feeling the world spin delightfully under them.

            Loki, who was quite a bit more sober then Tony, just sighed contentedly and closed his eyes.  Tony turned on his side and quietly watched through a daze as Loki slowly fell asleep.  He let him stay that way, taking power naps every so often, until the moon was well in to the sky and everyone had gone home.  Drunkenly and with a slight ringing filling his ears, the billionaire, reached over and prodded Loki awake. 

            With an indignant grunt Loki turned on his side and curled up a bit feeling disgusting and wet and tired.  When he opened his eyes he found himself 4 inches away from Tony’s face.  But he did not move, they both sat there staring at each other in silence.  That is until Tony smiled lightly and stirred a bit more to make sure the grass would not dampen his clothes.

            “You know.  I think you make my day better.”  Loki blinked a few times and pulled away a bit to stare at him more clearly.  Tony seemed surer of his answer and only smiled a bit more as Loki looked at him confused.   Eventually the God relaxed back in to the grass and closed his eyes muttering something in agreement as he dozed off again.

            When Loki woke up, the sun was peering over the sea and there was 700 dollars lying next to him with a note folded over the bills.  Sitting up Loki blinked a few times and picked up the note.  He found himself smiling at the end of it.

_~Hey there my magical mental patient,_

_Figured you should get a better hotel this time and a better suit.  This money is just for food and clothes.  I’m calling ahead at a place called the Hilton.  Go and get cleaned up._

_Next time you decide to show up, I’ll be sure to bring some stronger stuff, test your sea legs a bit light weight.  You make drinkers everyone look bad._

_-Anthony Stark._

_By the way.  I meant what I said, drunk or not. ~_


	4. There Are Words, I Long To Shout Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHOOT ME I AM SO SORRY! It’s been over a month (or two…? Nah. *too lazy to go and check*) sense I have last updated! I finally got in a new chapter of Dog Days if you want to check that out. But yah I am sorry I will try to be better!!! Schools been rather overwhelming and other such but you know what. Ships. They must go on. So! Yes um! Enjoy this! Reviews make me SMIIIIIILE and sometimes giggle insanely! SO! Do it. :D Thanks! Please enjoy!

_~Here’s my heart and here’s my mouth,_

_And I can’t help if things come out,_

_Because there are words, I long to shout,_

_But maybe I’ll just stay low~_

           

Things were not right, he could feel it.  Tony was in his lab, but he was not working.  He was pacing furiously occasionally picking up some piece of paper to read through it or tossing a few pieces of scrap metal away. 

Now Tony had never been one to read in to things really.  Small changes in the air or the way the clouds crossed over the moon.  If something bad was going to happen he had learned as a small child not to fear it in hopes someone else could come and chase it away, but to puff out his chest and just face it head on.  So why was this air of things so uncomfortable and tense, almost like something incredibly terrible had happened.

Thunder rolled outside as another California storm rolled its way in.  It covered up the sound of a door opening behind him.  He was staring out the window at the tree, it was getting late, Loki would not show up in the rain.  Tony kicked himself for the small pang of disappointment that fallowed that thought.

Every night as he tried to fall asleep sense he had first met the God under the tree, he had been at war with himself.  He knew he should be turning him in.  Shield would be incredibly happy to have the sneaky bastered back under their thumb.

After New York, Thor had taken a Loki back to Asgard.  A Loki, not the real one.  No the real one had hidden out somewhere, using what magic he had left to portal away and leave a copy in his place.  Sense Thor had returned bellowing in anger at his brother’s disappearance.  Fury had been well….furious. 

But it had been a long while sense then hadn’t it?  Bordering on 8 months now and there had been no trouble with him.  From what Tony could see he was strong enough to make some more mischief if he wanted too, the fact that he didn’t made Tony more at ease around him. A little bit too at ease really.  He had had a dream last night that things had not been as they were now.  Like, Loki had not attacked New York but instead came here on an expedition for some sort of magical item that had just so happened to be in that very park under that same tree.

He had awoken confused as to why he felt so happy with the results of the dream.  Because he knew what love and lust felt like, this was not either.  At least he thought he knew what they were.  Oh he knew what lust was perfectly fine and he was in love with his girlfriend, Miss. Pepper Potts.  Wasn’t he?

Tony jumped with a sharp startled gasp as someone touched his shoulder.  “God, don’t sneak up on me like that!”  Pepper just smiled up at him, “I called your name.”  Tony walked off to the desk to pull out some metal bars that were hidden underneath some papers.  “Bit busy here Pep.”

“I can see that.” Pepper raised an eyebrow and smirked lightly, “I wanted to make sure you had reserved a spot at that restaurant for tonight.”  Tony blinked and looked up confused turning a bar around in his hands.  “What restaurant?”  Her eyes widened then narrowed, “Tony you said you would place a reservation for our date tonight!”

“We had a date?”  As soon as he had said it he knew it was the wrong thing to say and mentally slapped himself.  Pepper turned to glare at him obviously livid, “It’s our first anniversary!  We’ve been talking about this for months!”  Oh…  “Have we?  Has it just been you?”  He turned nonchalantly and pulled up another bar.  And there she goes…. Another mind boggling rant where she would pull things up from random time periods that did not mean anything to this moment and go off on them.  He had had practice tuning her out and just concentrated on looking busy.

Finally she slowed.  With a quick glance at the clock, her rant had gone on for at least 20 minutes; he turned around and pulled her close by the shoulders to kiss her.  He felt her smile lightly underneath him and just kiss back quietly.  

How did she stand this?  They had grown rather distant sense New York.  Tony had been distant for the next few months, reliving memories of his time in captivity and the time in that damned war.  Pepper had tried to be there for him, tried.  It is hard to be there for someone when they are going through something that you do not know.  She pulled bottles away from his hands and doctored up any hangovers that had come up anyway.  But she did not **_know_** _._   She did not **_understand_**.  Nor did she make him feel a bit better.  He hated to admit it but Pepper made him feel terrible.  She had always been there for him, encouraging him, picking at the rawest wounds so that he would get up and fixes them himself; she had done almost everything for him.  And what did he have to show for it?  A hallow kiss that made him feel rather sick.

He pulled away and smiled lightly giving her a fond shake.  “I’ll be there at 8 alright?”  Pepper gave him a classic “really?” look.  He just nodded, “I will!”  Turning he went back to work connecting a few gears together hoping it looked like he really was in the middle of a project.  She did not seem to buy it.

“Is something wrong?”  She asked taking a step towards him.  He started to turn to give her a smile and some fake answer, but a flash of green caught his eye outside in the gloom.  Stopping he stared out of the window.  Loki was there alright, sitting beside the tree looking down, knees curled to his chest and blood streaked down his forehead at an alarming rate.  He must have looked startled because Pepper was turning around to look at what he was staring at, he caught her shoulders just in time.

“Pepper I have a confession to make.”  She blinked and looked up with doe eyes that used to make him feel like he was king of the world, now it just made him feel like a water boy that had forgotten to bring the water for the team.  “I did not book us a reservation because I didn’t want to bring you a place with people.”  She had looked angry at the beginning of the sentence but by the time he had finished her gaze had softened.  “I was afraid that I would not get my work done and you would be left at the restaurant.  So, I need you to go back home and get ready for me to pick you up when I am done alright?”  She just blinked and nodded, “At 8?”

“Around 8,” He gave a small nod and leaned in to give her another kiss and turned her to the door glancing back at the tree, Loki had not moved a muscle.  “I need to get moving though if I am going to finish in time alright?”  She just nodded, “I get it, I’m going.”  Turning around she kissed his nose lightly and smiled at him, “I’ll see you soon!”

“Y-Yah….”  He managed a meek smile and waved her off.  As soon as the elevator closed he darted to the closet and grabbed a large umbrella and a coat.  Throwing the coat on he turned to open the umbrella and dart out the back door in to the rain.  Pushing through the bushes at top notch speed he kept his head raised in hopes to catch another glance at the god.  He only slowed once he was in the clearing with the tree and walked over carefully.  “Hey.  Care to explain why you suddenly love water?”  Tony slung out teasingly walking over.  Loki looked up and his heart stopped.

How was this the same person that had tossed him out of the window?  He had looked strong and rather intimidating (not that he would ever admit that) then, but now…  Now he looked like death in a living form.  Like a broken puppet that was forced to move its own strings.

            His hair was messily pressed back behind his ears and was matted with mud and blood.  There was a rather large gash on the left side of his head, right on the hair line.  The blood dripped down his ear to his neck and there was some red foam bubbling at the corner of his lip.  His skin was a pasty pale, as if it was painted on badly with cheap paint.  He was wearing what looked like ripped up remains of armor, really it was not even clothes anymore.  Sure it covered all of him minus a few patches of arms and one bruised looking piece of his side, but the metal was hanging off of him in heavy uncomfortable juts with the leather peeling off alongside it. 

            As Tony got closer he saw the worst part, his eyes.  He stopped and frowned lightly pulling the umbrella above the both of him to ward off the wind and water and moved closer to sit next to him.  You know how eyes are supposed to be windows to like your soul or something like that?  His were clouded and half closed in a daze as his chest heaved for air.  Tears leaked down from the clouded windows though the rain made it difficult to tell which drop was which.

            “Jesus reindeer games, who did you piss off this time?”  An erratic breath and a small hallow pained laugh fallowed the few moments of silence.  Tony smiled lightly at the attempt and reached out to touch the blood lightly quietly muttering an apology as Loki winced away from him.  Why didn’t he think to bring a medical kit.

            “Come on…”  Tony stood up and offered Loki a hand, to which he just stared at dully.  “I am going to take you inside,” he explained calmly, “And we are going to you up real quickly alright?”  He did not know why he was offering to do this.  So many things could go wrong.  But still he was just watching him sit here in the mud and rain looking as if he couldn’t tell what was happening now or what had happened somewhere in a dream.  Besides he could not help the small ping of worry at bounced around in his mind as he reached down to grab his arm and pull him up.

            “Hey.  Listen to me okay?  I’m going to take you in to my house alright?  Get you a band aid and something strong to drink.  It’s the best medicine.”  Tony smirked lightly and nodded as he explained this staring in to his eyes and shaking him lightly a few times, “Understand?”  Loki blinked and nodded.  Finally at least that was a response. 

            Sure Tony had never been one to cower away from his fears, but as he held the umbrella with one hand and pulled Loki along with the other, he was starting to worry that he should start.


	5. There Are Words, I Long To Shout Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GODS SOMEONE SHOOT ME I AM SORRY! I will not hold you back much longer! Just saying that I am posting a story called More To Just Taking Over The World and it is about Loki’s kids for those who are wondering. Check it out! I’ll update Dog Days soon! Enjoy!!!

_~Here's my heart and here's my mouth,_

_And I can't help if things come out,_

_Because there are words, I long to shout,_

_But maybe I'll just stay low~_

 

Tony sighed heavily and looked over to Loki.  The god sat unmoving minus a few shivers, silent minus a pathetic whimper that he had uttered just as Tony sat him down on the couch. 

In the better light, Tony felt more lost on how to fix him.  The cut on his head poured blood at a sickening rate and he had ended up getting a towel to hold to the wound while he inspected him.

He _was_ crying.  Tony did not know why that was so shocking but it just was.  Loki looked so broken sitting slumped over in pain.  Slowly so he would not startle him he took his hand and raised it to hold the towel to his own head.  Loki seemed to catch on and held it tighter, pressing to keep the blood staunched a bit.

Tony moved and slowly started figuring out how to unbuckle the armor.  Slowly the shoulder pads slid off and so did the chest piece.  Loki seemed to be relieved by their weight suddenly being gone and Tony could kinda see why.  Bruises littered his chest from what he could see under the ripped shirt, and each piece of golden armor seemed to be at least 40 pounds. 

The towel that had been a crisp white now looked to be a deep red, fully saturated in blood.  Now that Tony looked up, his face had gone white and he was swaying lightly.  There was no way they could go to a hospital.  Tony blinked feeling more hopeless as a voice taunted to him about Thor explaining that gods could in fact die in battle. 

Leaning Loki back against the couch and propping his head up high with a pillow he got up and ran to get his medical kit.  Coming back he took the towel back from his wound, it had not been doing anything though Loki continued to cling on to it. 

Okay Tony you could do this.  Sure. You’ve sewn inner body suits before, you could do….skin….  The thought made him feel sick but there was no one else here.  He vaguely wondered if Loki could just use magick to fix the problem.  But the God didn’t seem to be part of this world any more, just staring at the wall swaying dangerously.  Just do it.

Tony leaned in and took out a sterol needle and thread.  Muttering apologies and calling his name softly to keep his attention on him, he slowly fixed the wound shut.  By the time he was finished blood covered his hands.  But it was worth it to see the blood finally have slowed. 

He took Loki’s hand figuring that they were both so covered in shared blood it did not matter if his hands were dirty.  Loki’s head dropped and swayed to watch their hands connect and fell back to look up at Tony as he made him slowly stand up and led him to the bathroom. 

An hour of coaxed cleaning and eventually getting Loki to change in to some of Tony’s clothes, they were both back on the couch.  Loki was sitting up even though he was shaking and still swaying a bit.

“Hey.”  Tony snapped his fingers in front of Loki’s face a few times until he focused on him.  Loki was rewarded with a small smile of encouragement and a fire whiskey.  His hands were shaking to badly to hold it, with a small frown Tony helped him tip it back to drink.

It seemed to remind him where he was and after the glass had been emptied, he leaned back against the couch with an exhausted air.  Tony smirked lightly and stood up moving to the bar to clean the glass and put it away.

“I told yah, a band aid and a strong drink.  One hell of a band aid but still.”  There was no response minus the rustle of him shifting.  Moving back over to look down at him, Tony saw that he had moved to lay down on his side curled up a bit nails digging in to his shoulders as he hunched in to a ball.  He looked to be in extreme pain which Tony did not understand, this guy had gotten hurt worse and didn’t break down like this.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?  Come on buck up reindeer games.”  With a soft tap to his shoulder Tony moved to go around and sit on the couch by him.  Loki didn’t seem to move until he sat down.  When he did Tony could hear him muttering something. 

“What was that?”  Tony leaned a bit closer to him.  
            “They took them, Stark.”  Loki whined out so softly that Tony had to practically lay on him to hear.  Tony blinked not sure he had heard him right.

“Who took who now?”  Who was there to take?   You see Tony.  This is what happens when you decide its fun to be with an insane god.  But Loki looked seriously distressed and it was making Tony uneasy.

Loki shifted to sit up more and sigh shakily, wiping his face with his sleeve.

“My children.  T-They took them back.”  Tony blinked eyes widening lightly.  Oh yah Loki did have kids.  4 of them. 

“That’s terrible.  Why?  Who were they?”  Not to mention who your kids are anyways.  Another sniff and an erratic breath.

“My children are always in danger because of me Stark.”  He looked up to meet Tony’s eyes.  “Because of me.”  Tony blinked and swallowed hard.

“I’m sure it’s not like that…”  He started to try to find some sort of comfort.  But he did not understand anything and this was supposed to be his enemy here.  His enemy that he had just invited in to his house after meeting up several times, given him a drink and some clothing and literally stitched him back together, good job Tony.  Great job.

“It is.”  Loki swallowed and shut his eyes, Tony gave him time and silence.  He wanted stories.

“I have 4 children that are currently living….”  Tony blinked.  Right he had gotten confused and said 6 before.

“Their names are Fenrir, Hel, _Jörmungandr and Slephnir….”  Loki smirked lightly at Tony’s confused look. “Fen, Hel, Jorm and Nir for short.  They started calling each other those names when they met…”  Another pause.  After a good 5 minutes Tony chose to speak up again._

_“You said you had 6 children earlier.”  Loki paused then looked up at him then back down at the floor with a shudder._

_“I did.  Two twin sons,_ Váli and Narfi…”  A moment of quiet for Loki to wet his lips and try to catch his breath, he looked panicked and strained, Tony kinda wanted to put an arm around him to let him know he was okay but you know.  That would be strange. 

“Odin killed them.  As a punishment to me.  He.” A pause.  A distant blink.  Tony snapped in front of his face after a moment of spacing out and he snapped back in to the world again.  “He killed them.  He turned one to a fox and made me watch as Váli slaughtered Narfi.  They let Váli taunt his brother as if he was pray and tear in to him.” 

Tony felt sick.  He leaned back against the couch steadying himself.  Because Jesus that was not cool.

“They let Váli run in to the woods.  T-They were only 2.  How could he survive?  The guards let me go after he was gone.  Thor and I searched for days for him.  Eventually Thor came back to me with a heart….”  Loki stopped and shook his head.  “That was all that was left of them…”

Tony chocked lightly and blinked.  He needed a drink….  That was to awful.  He could not even try to express how terrible everything sounded.  Eventually he just put a hand on Loki’s shoulder, lightly, cautiously.  Surprisingly the touch seemed to weaken Loki’s resolve, and he let himself fall in to Tony’s lap.  Tony didn’t mind at all.  So they both sat in silence, minus a few chocked sobs from Loki, with the gods head in Tony’s lap as Tony played soothingly with his hair.

“They’ve h-hurt them all before.  Every Asgardian.  All as just children too.  Now they have them b-back again.”  Tony simply chose to stay silent as Loki heaved another sob. 

This didn’t even look like Loki anymore.  This was obviously not a god or whatever type of alien he was.  He honestly just looked like a child that had tripped, skinned his knee and broke his favorite toy.  Times a million. 

“Why?”  Tony blinked, “Why would they do all of this then?”  Loki heaved another gasping breath and Tony put a hand on his shoulder to steady him.

“T-They’ve always told me, that I am going to kill everything.  Every god and every living creature in the nine realms, ever sense I was a child.  They think that my children will aid me in it.”  Tony blinked and shakily smirked.

“What a dream for a kid to have right?”  Tony managed out through a sinking feeling in his chest.  He could not help but wonder that if anyone had bothered to watch what they said in front of Loki when he grew up and just treated him normally, if maybe he would have turned out alright and _not_ blown up New York and apparently some other world.

They went quiet for a long time.  Tony just kept brushing Loki’s hair back until their eyes both became tired.  Eventually the two of them ended up fast asleep, Loki in Tony’s lap and Tony’s head resting on the back of the couch.

Tony was the first to wake up.  Careful not to disturb Loki, Tony reached over and grabbed his phone.  It was 3 am…. And he had 37 missed calls from Pepper.  Taking a deep breath, Tony clicked his phone shut and tossed it to the other end of the couch and leaned back again petting Loki’s hair a few times.

What was he doing...?  He really needed to think before acting next time.  Think before inviting a psycho panicking god in to his house and giving him clothes.  Think before even going to meet up with him again.  He should have thought before leaving a thank you note and some money. 

He was an Avenger.  He was Iron Man.  He was dating a beautiful loving-in-her-own-way woman who had helped his life so much.  He was Tony Stark. 

He was not a criminal.  He was not someone who hid criminals away.  He was not dating, in love or in like with this god.  ….but he was Tony Stark.  Tony Stark was good at lying to himself….

Then Loki stirred under his hands.  The god rolled from his side to look cautiously and sleepily up at him.  All thoughts forgotten Tony smiled suddenly taken in by how Loki’s green eyes seemed to turn a strange Aqua color in the light of the reactor in the pitch black room.  He was surprised at the sudden rush of glee that filled every fiber of him as the tear stained god smiled softly back. 

They stayed there like that silently watching each other.  Loki reached up to touch Tony’s reactor lightly.  Tony blinked cautiously but soon relaxed when he realized Loki was simply curious and not bent on killing him, which he could have done in his sleep multiple times anyway. 

Tony bent down lightly so that the reactor was above Loki instead of to the side.  A thoughtful and yet uncaring look passed over Loki’s face as he examined the blue glowing circle in the middle of Tony’s chest.  Eventually he dragged his gaze up to meet Tony’s.  Tony smiled lightly and after a moment the corners of Loki’s mouth tugged upward too.

Suddenly Tony was aware how close they were together.  A few inches away from each other’s faces.  Tony swallowed hard but didn’t move away.  Was it just him or was Loki moving closer.  Heart rate accelerating in a probably dangerous way, Tony leaned forward a bit too as Loki’s eyes moved to close.

They were about to touch when both of them jerked at a harsh ring tone from Tony’s cell phone.  Pepper….  Tony blinked and swallowed hard reaching out.  He stared at the picture of the red head on the caller ID.  Her hand was coming up to block the camera, her eyes rolling in annoyance.  She was frowning.

There had been better pictures of her that Tony could have used.  But he always felt as if that’s how Pepper acted when she called him.  Annoyed and tense.  So the picture fit.  He ignored the call then after a moment turned off his cell phone. 

Tossing it behind him, Tony looked back down at Loki. The moment had broken in the panic but the god still lay on his lap looking up at him with a question in his gaze.  Tony just shook his head.

“I had a date tonight.  Guess we slept through it.”  Loki blinked and looked embarrassed and muttered something of an apology.

“Nah that’s fine.  I think this was a more pressing matter anyway.”  Tony half smiled half smirked down at him and was glad to see Loki smile lightly as well at the attention. 

After a half hour of just studying each other and the outside sky from the window (it was still pouring rain) Loki moved to get up.  Tony let him rather reluctantly. 

“I should be going….” Loki muttered.  “It’s raining and I need to find a place to sleep before it gets too late.”  
            “You could stay here.”  ….damn it Tony this is what everyone means when they say think before saying something.  But Loki looked so surprised and rather touched by the offer that he couldn’t bring himself to care.  Geez what was his problem.

“Are you positive it’s alright?”  Loki whispered as if suddenly afraid he would be to loud to speak in a normal voice.

“Yah yah sure.  You just slept half the night here anyway.  Here, I’ll show you the guest room on this floor.  It’s across from my room if you need anything.  Feel free to use the shower to if you want to clean up a bit more.”  While he was explaining, Tony had led Loki down the hall.  Across from his bedroom doors, there was a rather identical set.  The rooms were pretty much identical in looks but Tony had made his more advanced in technology. 

Soon they were standing each at their bed room door ways.

“Well.  Good night Magic Hands.”  Tony said casually.

“Thank you for letting me stay.”  Loki interjected. Tony just smiled and nodded turning to close the door.  But not before he heard a soft, “Good night Anthony.”  Tony remembered how Loki had said that he had liked the name Anthony and smiled as he tossed off his t-shirt and climbed in to bed. 

He fought down the thoughts of a crazed Pepper and the concentrated on the warm fuzziness currently running through him.  He heard the shower start up meaning Loki had taken him up on his offer to be clean.  Tony fell asleep pretty quickly after that.

When he woke up Loki was gone.  Though he felt a bit disappointed at first, it changed when he saw a golden and cream colored paper card on the pillow of the bed and written in green ink was a small note.

_~Thank you for everything Anthony._

_-Loki~_

It was not much.  But it made Tony smile as he turned to go and face Pepper.  Right after a shower and a cup of coffee.


	6. I Could Wait A Thousand Hours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO SORRY EVERYONE! I made this a longer chapter for you! It’s almost 4,000 words which is about twice as many as I normally write. Slight OC in this one but she is not to important, I just wanted to write about her. ^-^ But anyways SO SORRY!  
>  Slowly coming in to more time and just over all procrastination. I have so much make up work for school but you know ships need love too so yah!  
> Um hey so uh.   
> THIS IS IMPORTANT PLEASE READ!  
> I was reading some of my older chapters of Quiet and such to get caught up on where we are. And I realized that I have terrible spelling and grammar. So I do not know if I am a big enough writer that any one might want to proof read my stuff for me? Add a comma or two? And maybe like yell at me to update things more? Kinda like a boss only not. XD Anyways! If anyone is interested please PM me! Thanks! :D I will reward you with um… things. Not money sorry. ^-^” Something.  
> Another thing! I am now taking requests to add to more stuff and if you have any idea of what you want to see in any of my ongoing fanfictions, a cute moment or a funny moment, please review and put your idea or PM me! Thanks!   
> I won’t keep you any longer! We are getting down to the end here! DX Enjoy!!!

_~I could wait, a thousand hours,_

_Stay the same, in sun and showers,_

_Pick apart a hundred flowers,_

_Just to be quiet~_

            “Pepper, please just let me explain!”  Tony yelled out suddenly over the full scale rant.

            He had just gotten out of the shower.  Despite the ominous twisting in his gut that told him that he needed to talk to his girlfriend, he was feeling pretty good. 

            After Tony found the note he had made himself a cup of coffee and sat in the kitchen thinking about what Loki had told him last night.  At first he had been disgusted and confused.  Why would Loki chose to tell him that, why not anyone else?  Or maybe if he had just kept his mouth shut he wouldn’t be in this mess.  He could have gone out and gotten sushi with Pepper and celebrated.  But no, he had to try and help a god who deserved to be thrown in jail!

            …….besides Pepper didn’t like raw fish anyways……

            As soon as that small thought about Pepper entered his mind he relaxed and began to think about what he had said.  Really think about it.  Because if it was all a lie then Tony could just forget about it, he was the God of Lies anyway.

            But why would he humiliate himself more like that.  Tony knew pride, pride was that no matter how wounded, you can do it on your own.  But yesterday Loki had been more then physically wounded.  Tony allowed himself to start wondering if what he said about his kids was real. 

            His stomach lurched at the thought of watching something so horrifying.  Not to mention having it be your own kids.  Tony didn’t have or want any children, but he knew what it was like to care for someone.

            Care for someone. 

            Shouldn’t his girlfriend be the first one that pops in to his mind instead of how close the two were last night?  The thought made him smile and he drifted on a mix of self hate and of excitement until his coffee was done.  Then he went for a shower to cool down.

            After he got out of an unnecessarily long shower, Jarvis had spoken up and told him that Miss. Potts was calling then immediately patched the call through before Tony could reply.

            The yelling came immediately.  Tony concentrated on getting dressed and automatically tuned her out.  With his clothes back on, he laid back on his bed and sighed, “Pepper, please let me just explain!” 

            She stopped.  Everything went quiet for a good 20 seconds until she spoke again.

            “You haven’t been listening to me have you?”  Tony blinked and frowned.  How did she know?  She spoke before he could answer, “I was saying that you should have just let me _know_ you were busy!  I was worried sick!”

            Tony blinked, “Wait.  What?”

            Pepper laughed lightly.  It only made Tony feel worse because that laugh used to make him smile, it just made him feel like a liar right now.  But what was the lie anyways?

            “Jarvis called to warn me. A friend had stopped over?  He didn’t tell me the whole story but he did say something had happened and you couldn’t leave him to call.  Personally it’s just nice to know that you are learning how to feel compassion.”

            Tony blinked a few times.  Jarvis.  No.  Don’t do shit like that….thank you…. But don’t. 

            “I feel plenty of passion, Pep.”  He replied with a light smirk.  “But yah, someone did stop over.  I met him once a few times and offered him a drink.  His kids were um.  Taken, I guess.”  Her startled intake of air sounded strange over the speakers.

            “That’s awful.  Is he alright?”

            “I haven’t heard from him.  I was thinking about walking by where we normally run into each other and see if he’s there.”

            “Be sure you do, I hope he’s alright.  That sounds terrible.”  Well.  Pepper must be PMSing or something, she sounded close to tears. 

            “Yah he seemed beaten up,” literally, “But I cleaned him up a bit more and he staid the night here.  He left before I woke up.”  This was pretty much the whole truth.  “So do you think we could reschedule that date then?  Maybe next Friday?”

            A small sigh, “Sounds great Tony.  But you know we have to leave tomorrow evening.”  What.

            “We’re leaving tomorrow?  When did I agree to this?”

            “A bit ago, when you decided to join up with the Avengers?  You are all going to Europe to introduce yourself.”  Tony sighed, it was sort of coming back now….

            “So… Next next Friday?”  Pepper sighed lightly.

            “Tony.  We are going to be gone for about 10 weeks.”

            “10 _weeks_.  That’s like.  1000 days, Pep.  What are we even going to be doing?”

            Tony could almost hear Pepper smile lightly over the phone, “1000 hours maybe.  You’ll be traveling all over to do different press conferences.  We can take out date somewhere better than just a restaurant.”

            He sighed dejectedly….  What about Loki then.  He nodded.  Pepper seemed to sense his restlessness because she said goodbye quickly after that.  Tony stood with a sigh and went to peer out at the tree. 

            It was raining again, a drizzle creeping down lazily from the dark gray overcast sky finishing the fall chill and bringing in the winter.  He found himself hoping that Loki hadn’t lost his mind in grief or spaced out again and was now tucked in a dark cold corner of some ally without a disguise.  Tony sighed and shook his head, he shouldn’t think like that but still.  Even psychopaths have a story, and their stories are some of the saddest…  And all that sentimental shit…

            Loki had woken up early, early considering he fell asleep around 5.  He had barely gotten any sleep, which was understandable.  But he had not spent the night painfully drifting through self-loathing and fear.

            He had gotten out of the shower feeling refreshed and a bit lighter, but he assumed it was just the blood and mud gone from him.  Drowsily he had found a baggy white plain shirt and some sleep pants that fit alright.  He laid down around 4 am. 

            Not able to think, he just laid there.  Tony must have gone to sleep because he didn’t hear any noises.  He had laid there until he drifted in to a light and troubling dark sleep. 

            When he woke up the clock had read 4:47.  He had caught himself wishing that Tony was with him.  But he just chalked it up to not wanting to be alone with his thoughts and had gone back to sleep.

He had woke up from a bad nightmare with a cry and leaping out from under the blankets.  Loki decided that he wouldn’t go back to sleep, it had been 7:23 anyways.  He had gotten dressed and walked out, pausing by Tony’s room listening hopefully for signs of movement.  There had been none.

He had changed his clothes in to a suit, put it on and left a note on his pillow.  Then he had paused one again in front of Tony’s room.  There had been nothing again.  Something told him that he could have gone inside the room and Tony would not have minded at all.  But pride had kept him out. 

So he just left and started walking.  And walking and walking and walking.

It was now 3:24 pm.  And it was cold outside.

He supposed that that shouldn’t affect him too much and it sort of didn’t.  But if you grow up in warm, you learn to like warm and learn to feel uncomfortable in the cold, which was how he felt walking through the heavy sleet.

Loki felt dejected, lost.  He hated himself for not going and trying to fight the guards again.  And he hated himself for leaving Tony’s house so quickly.  He had tried not to think about it but Tony probably wouldn’t have minded if he was there when he had woken up.  But he had to leave for safety reasons.  Why he cared about the mortal’s safety he didn’t understand.   He left it as that he owed him a lot, Loki didn’t like leaving debts uneven.

Feeling dizzy, he let himself sink on to a deserted bench.  Sure he had enough money to go and get food which would probably make him feel better, but then he’d have to put on a disguise and talk to people and be watched.  So let him just be lazy for once, he was content to just stare at the ground and try to think.

He could remember how everything had happened.  Normally, he wouldn’t care if some people got hurt, if some people’s lives were ruined, if some people died.  People die every day, if others weren’t strong enough to take it then well.  They should either join the club or be left to die.  The worlds don’t need weak people.  If people think he is awful for thinking that way then well, maybe they just don’t want to hear the truth from the source of lies.

But this was so much different.  This was his own kids, you know, flesh and blood and all that.  Being a good parent and also trying to extract revenge or whatever he was after (he really was not sure anymore) is difficult if not impossible.  He had risked a lot for those kids, they really shouldn’t have been born in the first place, but Loki was glad they did. 

            Because even though day after day and year after year he would think about the screams they had made when they were young and fever glazed eyes.  He had cared for them when they were born, taken them from their mother so that she did not need to face the consequences.  She had not wanted them.  At first he didn’t either.  But having something to live for was nice at least. 

            He must have done something wrong, even when he had not attacked anything, nothing more than living in the same realm.  Yet his twin sons were dead, because of Odin.  For no reason at all. 

            Anger flared and he stood up quickly and began walking quickly, stiffly.  He did not want to draw attention to himself. 

            To calm himself down he allowed his thoughts to change to Tony and last night. 

            He was confused as to why a mortal enemy would help him, even put himself at risk of trouble and even death just to stitch a wound or give him a place to rest.  Loki was certain that he deserved to wander about Midgaurd in hiding until he found a better way to live.  So why did Tony seem to think different.  Loki sighed, what did he see in him that he didn’t see in himself. 

            Maybe nothing, maybe he pitied him.  The thought made him angry, he did not want anyone’s sympathy.  The god clenched his teeth and pushed out of the sleet in to a diner.  Only then did he realize that he did not have his mask on. 

            “Hi!  It’s freezing out there, don’t you have a coat?  You look soaked.  Come on I’ll get you a table and something hot to drink.”  A waitress hopped over surprising him when she did not recognize him.  She was very tanned skinned with black hair in a messy bun and big thick pink lips that she was contently beaming with.  “How about a big cup of coffee.  You look like you’re a coffee drinker.  Black?  With sugar?  Oh, you know what?  I’ll just bring some cream and sugar over with the pot okay? Right this way sir!” She grabbed his arm and tugged him to a booth to sit him down constantly talking.  Good.  He didn’t want to speak at all.

            She immediately bounced off leaving Loki to try and process what she had said.  What was coffee?  A hot drink apparently but still, was it like Tea or something?  He had had tea before.  He had barely finished his puzzlement by the time she got back. 

            The diner was empty.  There did not even seem to be any one in the back kitchen.  The woman quickly took out a mug and poured his coffee.  Loki could see now that her name was Clarice, at least that was what her badge said.

            “Here you go, nice and fresh!”  She beamed at him.  He smiled politely back and noted how she stood there faithfully, smiling down at him and waiting for his approval at her coffee making skills. 

            Loki smirked lightly, amused, and carefully took a sip of the coffee.  He couldn’t help but gag lightly as the bitter taste.  She frowned at him.  She suddenly looked like she could burst in to tears.

            “Oh no it’s fine.  I have never tried this before, you see…”  He began quietly,  “I haven’t tried something so bitter.”  She suddenly beamed.

            “Oh!  Oh I see!  That’s fine because that’s when you put in cream and sugar!”  She took the mug away and put in a few packets of sugar and a few packets of cream.  She stirred it carefully before sliding it back to him.  He smiled tiredly at her enthusiasm and carefully tried it again. 

            He was surprised to find that it tasted a million times better.  Looking up at her hopeful face he nodded lightly and gave her a small smile to show he liked it taking another sip.  And he had never seen anyone that looked so proud in themselves.

            “That’s great!”  She beamed down at him, “Now.  Do you know what you want?  Your looking a bit pale.  It’s really cold out there.  How about flap jacks?  You’ve tried the all American pancake haven’t you?  You look like you are not from around here.  So that would be the obvious thing to get right?”  She beamed brightly.

            Loki just nodded in his reply and gave her a small wave telling her to bring whatever.  He doubted that he would be able to eat anything but she looked so hopeful.  She bounced off quickly to the kitchen.

            He sighed and sipped at his coffee.  The emptiness of the place was unsettling.

            The walls were a deep sky blue and the ceiling and floor was a crisp gray.  There had to be at least 40 or 50 other tables scattered around the diner.  The place was clean, sparkling even, and the coffee was good quality, at least it tasted like it.  The time was now about 5 pm, which was normally when people ate dinner.  Then why was everything silent.

            He looked up from his empty cup to find Clarice peeping out at him to check on him.  Loki smiled lightly and tapped the rim of the glass, “May I have another?” 

            She beamed and skipped over to do the complicated process of stirring in the sugar and the cream and gave him a new piping cup before hurrying back in to the kitchen to make sure her “flap jacks” (whatever those were) were not burning.

            Another few moments passed before she was sliding out with an oval plate in her hands, that held 5 “flap jacks”, which appeared to be fluffy soft disks, a mound of hash browns and another pile of scrambled eggs.  She set the plate down in front of him with a flourish and put some brown liquid that looked and smelled similar to honey on them.

            “This is syrup.  It makes things sweeter.”  She explained and beamed at him.  He was faintly surprised when she hesitated then sat down on the other side of the booth and examined him while he tried the food.  It was pretty good…  It made his stomach roll anyway.

            “You know…..  You look a lot like that guy.”  He blinked and through her a questioning look.  She smiled lightly.  
            “Right people cannot read my mind.  Gotta remember that!  Anyways that guy that like.  Went crazy and came from the sky with aliens and stuff.  Loki was his name right?”  He had trouble swallowing his bite of eggs and covered the chock up with a sip of coffee.  She giggled.

            “Don’t die okay?  But like yah you really do.  Minus the leather.  It would be just AWFUL to try and take over a world in leather don’t you think?”  She beamed.  Loki almost laughed.  He smirked lightly.

            “I suppose you would get used to it…”  He said quietly taking another bite of food.  She beamed again.

            “I suppose.  I like the look you know?  I mean personally, gotta love the Avengers and all, but I think it would be cooler to have you know.  The dark mysterious sort of off guy on the team instead of another big hero guy, like a TV show!”

            An awkward smile and a nod from Loki.  He could hear his heart racing in fear of being discovered.  She just giggled.

            “Sorry.  I’m really in to that Superhero stuff.  But hey!  Why don’t you tell me about yourself.  You look like you’ve been having an awful day.”  He did not want to talk.  So he shrugged and nodded to her.

            “What about you tell me about yourself while I am eating, alright?”  She beamed.  And suddenly she was off on a rampage.  A tidal wave of words and exclamations and hand gestures. 

            She was 17.  She had a mother and a sister.  Her sister had just given birth to the “most adorable, sweetest little alligator of a baby boy.”  They all three ran this diner because her grandfather had left it to her mother and they just couldn’t leave it alone.

            Her father had left them when she was 6.  Her grandfather had just died and her mother had been in a state of shock and depression.  Only her, her mother and her sister went to the funeral, her father had stayed behind.  When they got back, everything of value that they had in their home was gone, and so was her father.

            Ever sense then they had been just barely getting by.  And not many people came to diners anymore, sense they had to put down their adds.  She was positive though that the word would get around soon enough and then they would attract enough people to afford adds.  Then the people would come again. 

            She beamed at him and the diner fell in to silence.  He had stopped eating only half done, he was starting to feel sick.  Loki nodded slowly unsure what to say.

            “So how about you?”  She beamed lightly.  He sighed and shook his head.

            “There is not much to tell.”  She shook her head.

            “I don’t believe that for a second.”  He tsked lightly.

            “Well… I’m currently out of a house.  But a generous man is supplying me with money so that I can stay in a hotel and buy food and clothes-” He was cut off by her squeal.

            “Oooh!!!  Do you LIKE him?  You know.  LIKE like him?”  He blinked multiple times.  Who would go from a supplier of money to a sudden love interest?  Clarice would.

            “I. No.  We meet up with each other underneath a tree by his house.  If I happen to be there and he happens to be there, we talk, he gives me money, we leave.  No second thoughts.”

            “I am calling a major BS!”  She beamed.  Loki just smirked.

            “Call it whatever you want.”  He looked over at the clock.  It was getting late.  But surely Stark might still be awake, tinkering in his lab.  It was 10:30.   A lot of time to spend at a diner, but it was warm and the coffee was good and he had no other place to be, he didn’t mind.  He moved to stand.  “But I think I need to be going now.”  She almost looked sad, but then she beamed and hopped up running over to grab his receipt.

            She blinked, looked at the receipt, looked at Loki, then ripped it in half and tossed it in the trash.

            “Don’t worry about it this time.  Just tell your “friend” to come here another time alright?”  She beamed.  Loki blinked.  He had done nothing for this girl.  Why would she refuse pay if she needed the money? 

            He was suddenly reminded of Tony.  Sure the girl did not look a thing like him, or really act like him.  But they were similar in morals.  They made sure to say their mind no matter what the consequences, and whether they mean to or not they always seemed to do the right thing.  

            This made him smile lightly and he pulled out his wallet and pushed the 2,347 dollars he had stored towards her side of the table.  He stood up and nodded her a goodbye and simply left without a word.  But as he crossed the street he heard the sudden shriek of excitement come from inside the diner.

            Loki was suddenly struck with an urge to tell Tony about what had happened.  He started up a brisk pace, head ducked in case anyone was watching him.  He got to the tree and climbed up on to a branch to perch so he would not be in the mud.  And he waited.

            On any normal night, Tony would be awake, blaring his band of choice for the week while perfecting a new suit.  But this was a different day.  Tony had locked up his lab and gone to bed early, by law of Pepper.

            And he would be leaving tomorrow without looking out of his lab’s window.

            Loki did not know this however.  So all that he did was sit in the sleet, and wait.


	7. Tell Me When You Feel Ready

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to update! I was busy and lalala. I got a comment being all: UPDATE LALALA. And I was all: Right! But while writing this I have broken earphones. XD So I am blaming that on why this chapter most likely sucks. Anyone want to send me some earphones for your updates? XD Yay. Anyways!  
> This is it guys. Last chapter of Quiet. (I might do an Epilogue though so stay tuned.) I ended up getting excited and went back on my promise to my Tony to update my other fanfictions. ^-^” I don’t think you’ll mind, will you Anthony? Nah. Anyways! o.o I’ve been a bit worried about how I will wrap this up. Because I don’t think I can just do a half assed job and tie it with a sloppy bow. XP So we shall see what happens! A few annoying little announcements…? Yes.  
> IMPORTANT PLEASE READ!  
> I was reading some of my older chapters of Quiet and such to get caught up on where we are. And I realized that I have terrible spelling and grammar. So I do not know if I am a big enough writer that any one might want to proof read my stuff for me? Add a comma or two? And maybe like yell at me to update things more? Kinda like a boss only not. XD Anyways! If anyone is interested please PM me! Thanks! :D I will reward you with um… things. Not money sorry. ^-^" Something.  
> Another thing! I am now taking requests to add to more stuff and if you have any idea of what you want to see in any of my ongoing fanfictions, a cute moment or a funny moment, please review and put your idea or PM me! Thanks!  
> Done! :D That was… almost painless yes? ^-^ YAY OKAY! GO! READ ON! :D I LOVE YOU ALL! Please review and such! ^-^ It’d be amazing and make me smile and all that! :D

**_~Tell me when you feel ready,_ **

**_I’m the one there’s not too many,_ **

**_Hold my hand to keep me steady,_ **

**_Just to be quiet with you~_ **

**Have you ever been trapped inside yourself?  It was a hard thing to think about but in reality it happens a lot for a short moment.  Just 30 seconds of wonder at the sound of rain or a moment of panic when you are caught up in the dreaded falling dreams, where you just cannot seem to catch yourself in time.  And in that moment when you come back to the real world, you are left in numbed wakefulness at just how cold and quiet everything is.**

**Loki has been left in that continuous wakefulness for almost 2 months now.**

**When he had gotten back from the diner it had already been somewhat late.  Tony had not come out; he was on a business trip that Loki did not know of.**

**But he had been waiting here.  Not eating or anything.  Waiting with a sick feeling to tell him a story about giving a waitress almost $2,000 dollars to save her business and ask some questions about morals and everything.  Maybe drag him down to the diner to show him himself.**

**But that would be kind of like a date wouldn’t it?  He sighed and shivered lightly, his clothes were wet and frozen.  But he supposed that everything just got to close too soon.  He highly doubted that Tony Stark would want a relationship with someone that he had to pay for, take care of because of his kid issues; oh yah and he also blew up his tower.**

**That wasn’t his fault; he was under death threat….**

**Besides.**

**He didn’t want any sort of a relationship, especially not with a mortal.  It would just end badly.  He can’t trust anyone, nor can** Anthony.  He was also in to women wasn’t he?  A huge playboy who preys on women who think they can change him.  However he did seem awfully keen to kiss him, he did invite him in to his house. 

But he shouldn’t even think about that.  Not if he hadn’t even checked for him or let him know anything for two months. 

You know.  He thought that he had been lonely in Asgard.  Thor had always gotten the friends, gotten the parental attention, the hearts of all the citizens.  And he had just gone and hidden off in the tower.  Even when Amora wasn’t there to teach him magick lessons. 

Just get up early, get fully cleaned dressed and ready, only to go and sit alone in a dark tower because no one ever wanted him around.  He had thought he was lonely.

Then he actually met someone who became his friend.  And then he had to go ahead and take care of him.  Make him sort of want to take care of him too. 

Oh give it up.  He knew that he was starting to care for his only friend.  Starting wasn’t the right way to put it.  It was more really, “I would jump off of the Bifrost if I had a 1 out of a million chance of being able to make you laugh again because you are the only one who seems to care about me, even if you really don’t.”

Yah that was about right.

He felt weak and too pale.  Leaning back against the trunk of the tree he shook the snow off of his shoulders and closed his eyes.

OoOoO

            Tony was actually have a great time.  The Avengers were actually sort of a fun group of people to be around when they were not expecting to die any minute.  That normally puts a downer on things.

            Nah.  Him and Clint had started off pretty badly but everything smoothed out. 

            Steve was fun to mess around with, play a few pranks on.  That was one thing that Clint was good for. 

            Bruce was intelligent and provided a bit of stimulation to a mind bogglingly boring drive between countries.

            Thor was great fun to be around.  But there were always these little moment.  Whether it was the way that he would tap his thumb against the middle of his palm a few times if he was thinking really hard, or the little “I Want” line that crossed through his forehead if he was denied something, that just really remind him of Loki.  He was not sure how to put it to himself the feeling of emptiness for the God’s company nor how he recognized that Loki did these things in the first place.

            But Thor was his big brother.  Sort of.   He did not know what he was doing, and he was not going to tell the God of Thunder to stop because he was becoming homesick for his little brothers voice. 

            Creepy and probably life threatening.

            Then of course there was Pepper.  It did not help his guilt that she was always suddenly a sweetheart when he would come home late from a meeting, sore, tired and hungry.

            She was always there with hot food and a big smile.  Pepper had this thing.  Thing meaning, “If I get my way I am going to be so happy that I will give you everything you need.”  But doesn’t every woman have that sort of thing going on? 

            ….Loki didn’t….

            Anyways, she would made sure he ate and then take him to bed.  Not just like make sure he would go to bed.  She would.  Take him.  To bed.  In many different ways each time. 

            Was it strange that he was slowly starting to fall in love with her again?  It was not just the sex, he knew that this time.  But her laugh would make him smile in triumph again.  He was happier to pull her closer and kiss her on the cheek good night and ecstatic to be able to wake up to her again.

            They ended up going on a double date with Clint and Natasha.  Of course Natasha was insisting they were only going as partners, but the way she smiled back when Clint winked at her, everyone else knew that was a complete lie.

            The four of them had had incredible fun.  Clint, Natasha and Tony had wanted Sushi but Pepper had frowned and instead they all dressed up and went to go and eat at a fancy restaurant.  It was a nice change, and it was defiantly not boring when Clint decided to take off his tie and Pepper had a fit.

            Tony had laughed and kissed her hand, that seemed to calm her down.  She giggled too.

            Afterwards they went to a movie.  Something Tony hadn’t done in a long while.  Pepper had ended up sliding in to his lap during a frightening part.  He grinned through the whole movie and held her tightly, without another thought in his mind.

            But now they were on the plane back home.  She was leaning on him, head comfortably cradled in his arms.  He wished in the back of his mind that she was strong enough to let him lean on her like this.

            That was when he remembered Loki for the first time in a month and a half.

            It was like remembering that you had left your favorite pet outside for the full day while you had stayed inside and watched your favorite movie.

            The difference of the favorite movie and the pet was that the movie could make you laugh and you only had to press play and sit back.  But the pet needed attention, it needed to be fed and walked and cared for.

            But a pet was something that took care of you too, no matter what.

            Tony swallowed hard and looked out the window.  He could see Malibu now.  In his mind he could see the park and their tree.

            The tree was fully dead and soggy.  There were no more leaves on his mind’s version of the tree.  It had slush all around it and as well as the whole park and his house, was completely empty.

            Because his pet had ran away.

OoOoO

            Loki was dizzy.  Maybe when one of the guards smashed his head down he had gotten some form of a concussion.  Not like he would know.  Or be able to fix it for that matter. 

            They had taken it all away.  Odin had taken away his children then slowly took away his stores.  He had magick in his blood, you cannot take that away.  But you can revert its strength back to when it was born.

            Able to keep his skin and eyes, not able to heal, not able to transform anything, he was left unable to be himself. 

            He felt as if crying would be too much of a waste of energy, funny how tears gathered anyway.

            It was freezing or maybe that was just him putting up barriers from the world. 

            Loki did not raise his head at a rustling in the bushes.  He turned his chin to his chest and hugged his knees tighter.  He did not care if he was caught now.  Who cared, he didn’t.  Anthony didn’t obviously.

            “Hey!”  Came a loud cry, so close to a scream it hurt for his pounding head to hear.  Suddenly there was a mad scrambling at the bottom of the tree. 

            So they had come for him.  Finally found him.  Loki wondered hopefully if they would be able to do anything that might actually kill him for once. 

            A hand grabbed his shoulder so forcefully that he toppled out of the tree.  Something tight wrapped around his chest and hands and he was picked up roughly.  Whoever picked him up was running. 

            He heard the Director call out an angry question.  There was a reply from the solider carrying him.  Then he let himself sink into blackness.

OoOoO

            When Loki woke up he was warm, which was something that he was glad for.  He took his time to open his eyes.

            When he did the bright light pierced him.  He tried to move his hands up and found that they were in restraints.  Letting his arms and legs relax, knowing that it would do no good to struggle; he looked up past the bright lights.

            There Director Fury stood, looking proud and fierce as ever.  Actually even more so, and why not?  He had finally captured the most wanted criminal. 

            His voice rasped in his throat, and no words came.  The Director smiled and tipped a bottle to his lips.  It tasted like bitter almonds.  Tensing he turned his head and spat it on the floor panting.

            Fury frowned and sighed.  He disappeared for a minute.  The light was blinding and his head throbbed.  When he came back he had a triumphant smile on his face. 

            The IV was plugged in.  Loki’s vision swam and he slowly fell asleep.

OoOoO

            When Loki woke up it was cold.  HE was cold.  He was actually shivering. The light was out.  His hands were free.  In fact he wasn’t even on the steel hard table. 

            When he opened his eyes he saw he was on the floor in Tony’s home.  He swallowed hard finding that his throat felt like sandpaper. 

            Tony walked over and looked down at him.  They stared at each other.

            “Feel proud of yourself yet?”  Loki blinked fuzzily unsure if this was truly happening or if it was just another dream.  “You gave yourself a fever that could be dangerous to even normal temperature based creatures.  In fact a human probably would have died.”  Tony glared down at him.

            Loki coughed and moved to sit up.  Tony’s face instantly went blank then softened as he leaned down to help him get up and move him to the couch to sit up straight. 

            The tired god ended up leaning against Tony so much he had to sit by him.  Tony smiled lightly and had him lay his head down in his lap.  Judging by the way Loki was looking up at him, he wasn’t sure if Tony was actually there.

            “Hey Lokes.  I’m sorry I haven’t seen you in a while.”  Tony ran his hand over his dirty hair and brushed it back smirking kindly as Loki relaxed suddenly and smiled, finally understanding this was happening.

            “I got taken away with my little band to Europe for the past few months.  Then I come back to find you just huddled up on the tree?  Jesus honey, you were already skinnier than anything I’ve ever seen,” he poked at his apparent ribs, “You could have brought a cheeseburger along or something in your stake out.” 

            Loki smiled lightly and rasped, “I suppose I lost track of time.”  Tony smiled lightly and carefully stood up letting him lay down and went over to the elevator to pick up some food.

            “Well.  I ordered us the most fattening burger you will ever eat in your life.  That and some ice should knock your fever down enough for your magick hands to take the rest shouldn’t it?”  Loki frowned.

            “Not quite Stark.” He rasped uncomfortably and shifted in to a sitting position again.

            Tony frowned lightly, “Really not feeling up to it?  You still have a high fever.  But I can get you some aspirin and-” Loki laughed weakly, more like a few short breaths.

            “You are fussing Anthony.”  He simply said blinking tiredly.  Tony smirked.

            “So what if I am?”  He disappeared to go and set the food in the bedroom and came back, quickly swooping Loki up in to a bridal style hold and started to carry him to the bedroom.  Loki groaned and dropped his head in to his chest; he could pay later for this.  But if you’re sick it’s great to have someone you can trust dote on you, so he was not going to complain. 

            Tony laid him on the bed and pulled a blanket over him, propping him up on pillows.  He went and got an ice cold rag and laid it on his forehead.

            “There.  Now all we need is for you to gain maybe 25 pounds and we are good.”  Tony smirked and passed him the cheeseburger.  “I don’t care if you throw it up, eat it anyway.  Something’ll stay down.”

            Loki rolled his eyes, “Don’t be disgusting.”  He looked over as Tony flopped beside him and took a bite of his own burger.  They ate in silence until Loki decided he would definitely get sick if he ate anymore. 

He set the burger down on the side table with the wrappings and turned on his side letting himself curl up in to a little ball of misery.  He watched Tony carefully before sighing heavily.

            “I missed you.”  Tony wiped a bit of ketchup off his chin and didn’t look at him. 

            “Yah?”

            “Yah.”

            Silence. 

            Tony sighed and leaned down, laying to face him and pull him closer so they were a few inches apart.

            “I’ve missed you too.” 

            Silence.

            Loki blinked a few times.  They met eyes.  Stared at each other for a long minute.  It was that weird kind of pull like last time …cliché right?  Still.  They both leaned in at the same time.                     Their lips met softly and Loki moved closer to curl in to him more.  Tony wrapped his arms around the sick god to pull him closer and run a hand up his back in comfort.  Both of them relaxed and Tony heard Loki let out an almost silent hum. 

            Who knows how long the kiss lasted.  In that minute, the two of them wished it would never end. 

            They both pulled away at the same time and watched each other.  The intensity was gone.  Both had been knocked off their feet. 

            Tony grip tightened on Loki’s middle to pull him closer and Loki rested his burning forehead on his shoulder panting lightly, eyes half closed. 

            “I missed you.”  Loki muttered again.

            Tony didn’t say anything.  He looked down at the head of black hair that was hiding in his chest.  He swallowed hard

            “…”

            “Sir.  Miss Potts has arrived with the final bit of paper work.  She seems intent to take you out as well.”  Jarvis keyed up softly before moving silent again.

            Loki looked up quietly and met Tony’s eyes.  Tony hesitated.  But he knew not for nearly enough.

            He sighed and let his arm slide from under Loki and got up.  He straightened his shirt, unable to look back at the god as the pulled a button up over his tank top.  But as he turned around to leave their eyes met.

            Who knew a soul could look so crushed. 

            Tony had slept with a lot of girls and broken their hearts before.  This was only a kiss.  Loki shouldn’t look so hurt.

            His green eyes had a few tears in the corners that his pride couldn’t keep out.  With his hair messy and dirty, and his face red and miserable from the fever, he only looked worse.  Legs tangled in the blankets and arms shaking with the effort it took to sit up. 

            Tony sighed and shook his head.

            “I can’t do this anymore.” 

            Silence.

            Tony shook his head again and looked away. 

            “I just can’t.”

            Then he went to go and meet his girlfriend for dinner.


End file.
